Saint Louis is one of five Atlantic 10 teams on the NCAA tournament bubble. / Scott Rovak, USA TODAY Sports

by Patrick Stevens, Special for USA TODAY Sports

by Patrick Stevens, Special for USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to the first week of USA TODAY Sports' annual Bubble Tracker breakdown.

Five weeks remain before Selection Sunday, a 35-day scramble to determine the 68-team NCAA tournament field. For now, plenty remains murky and subject to some wild fluctuations.

Two things bear repeated mention: No team exists in a vacuum, and the tournament selection committee is going to take 37 at-large teams no matter what. There is value in knowing the strengths and weaknesses of borderline tournament teams, and that's what the daily Bubble Tracker is for.

About our bracketologist: Patrick Stevens is USA TODAY Sports' 2013 bracket specialist. He has covered college sports and projected the NCAA tournament field for more than a decade for various publications, including The Washington Times. Don't like his projections? Tweet him @D1scourse.